During the visit to Turkey, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to facilitate the release of Ukrainian political prisoners who are detained in Russia, the President’s press-service reports. The two leaders discussed relevant issues of bilateral cooperation and international agenda.

Poroshenko thanked Erdoğan for his ongoing support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and for the protection of the rights of Crimean Tatars.

The Presidents …

Joint Forces Operation (JFO) commanders are allowed to return fire when provoked, without needing to coordinate with top leadership first, said JFO commander Serhiy Nayev in an interview with UNN news agency.

"The commanders are given the right to independently decide on the appropriate response to shelling [by the enemy] to protect the lives and health of subordinates and civilians," he said. According to Nayev, in a combat environment, waiting for approval "often has price of human life."

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Finnish authorities decided to join the diplomatic boycott of the World Cup that begins in Russia on June 14. According to the Ambassador of Ukraine in Helsinki, Andrii Olefirov, the first persons of the state will not be present at the matches.

"The top leadership of Finland will not participate in the championship. It is not my merit but it is a matter of common sense. Everyone goes about their work,” the diplomat wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, June 12. Olefirov also urged Ukrainian citizens …

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has commented on the new anti-Russian sanctions introduced by the US. The Russian department emphasized that Washington “can’t shut up with its sanctions”.

“The result, as before, will be null – it will not be able to force Russia to change its independent course in the international arena. But the American politicians continue to entertain illusions that the US is the world’s policeman, and with each new failed attempt to pressurize our country, they only demonstrate …

On Tuesday June 12 in the Turkish city of Eskişehir, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) was brought online. The opening ceremony was attended by the presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Serbia, the prime minister of Bulgaria, the CEO of BP and representatives of various other companies, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

According to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Ankara and Baku “are writing the energy history of the 21st century”, which has been made possible by the …

Norway has suggested that the United States more than double the number of U.S. marines deployed in the country. The government in Oslo is increasingly concerned about the threat posed by Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Radio Liberty reports.

Approximately 330 U.S. marines were scheduled to leave Norway at the end of this year after an initial contingent arrived in January 2017 to prepare for fighting in winter conditions. However, the decision to withdraw the troops has been …

On Tuesday, the US Justice Department filed charges against five employees of the Russian company SovFracht for supplying Syria with aviation fuel, thereby contravening the sanctions introduced by the US government against Damascus.

The Justice Department said that allegations have been brought against Ivan Okorokov, Ilya Loginov, Karen Stepanyan, Alexey Konkov and Liudmila Shemlkova at the District Court of Columbia. The SovFracht employees allegedly “conspired to violate US economic …

On Tuesday, June 12, Israeli police questioned the country’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The head of the government testified for several hours concerning the purchase of submarines in Germany, Israeli police spokesman Micki Rosenfeld said. According to him, Netanyahu is officially a witness, not a suspect.

A number of politicians have accused the Prime Minister of promoting the deal against the will of the Ministry of Defense of Israel. According to a representative of Netanyahu, the …